Listen for the Lie

A Novel

By: Amy Tintera

Narrated by: January LaVoy, Will Damron

Long-listed, NPR Best Book of the Year, 2024

"A world-class whodunit."—Stephen King

“An extremely successful high-wire act, balancing between dark comedy and darker thrills.”—Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Laugh-out-loud funny, thrilling and twisty...”—Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"A lot of thrillers these days use the murder podcast as a plot device. This production simulates one better than any audiobook I’ve listened to, to an often hilarious effect. Also, January LaVoy expertly voices one of Lucy’s funniest tics: imagining how she would murder nearly every person with whom she comes in contact."—Vulture

"Narrator January LaVoy is a treat to listen to, as she gives Lucy the sardonic tone she needs as she grapples with life. LaVoy is also a genius in the way she gives life to Lucy's inner voice—a psychological shoulder demon who wants to solve every issue with ... "let's kill him."—The Berkshire Eagle

"Narrator LaVoy absolutely shines as the broken yet charmingly cheeky heroine. Her tale is organically intermixed with podcast excerpts delivered in honeyed and wry tones by Will Damron, each bookended by delightful 'podcasty' melodies."—Booklist

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.

But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.

The truth is out there, if we just listen.

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books.

©2024 Amy Tintera (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Listen for the Lie is a page-turner from the first sentence to the very last. In addition to being a world-class whodunit, full of carefully doled-out twists, Lucy is a terrific character, feisty and funny and, it turns out, brave as hell. It’s great fun. Readers will rip through this one.”—Stephen King

“Original and deliciously dark with a wicked sense of humor. An addictive page-turner that will keep you guessing until the end.”—Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author

“A singular voice that explodes off the page, Amy Tintera's writing flashes with sharp comebacks and pointed commentary as she expertly knits her web of secrets and small town lies. Hands down the most fun I've had reading about murder.”—Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author of The Husbands

Narrators LaVoy and Damron make this amazing

Some novels are made for audio, and “Listen for the Lies” is one of them. It’s a story of a true-crime podcaster, Ben Owens, who has made it his mission to solve the mystery of who killed Savannah, aka Savvy in a small Texas town. The audio uses the podcast sound effects beautifully. Plus, the extraordinary January LaVoy narrates along with her real-life husband, Will Damron. If you haven’t had the pleasure of listening to Ms. LaVoy, this is an excellent audio to showcase her immense talent.

Lucy begins the story, narrating that she bought a “sorry I didn’t tell you I was a suspect in my best-friend’s murder” chicken for her boyfriend. Lucy is a wonderfully sarcastic narrator. And she informs the reader that the unsolved murder of her BFF Savvy is now the subject of the wildly popular podcast “Listen for the Lie”. Lucy also expects to be fired now that it’s out there that she was a suspect in a murder investigation. Lucy is in Los Angeles, escaping her small Texas town after the murder, in an attempt to begin a new life. Her grandmother begs her to return home. Lucy, now fired and boyfriend-less, decides to come home.

We learn that on the early morning of the murder, Lucy was found covered in blood, disoriented, walking alone down a country road. Also, early that morning, her BFF Savvy’s body was found. No murder weapon was discovered, and Lucy doesn’t remember what happened. Or does she? Through her acerbic narration, which includes her intrusive thoughts that involve killing people, author Amy Tintera creates tension. Is Lucy really amnesic? What’s with her intrusive thoughts?

Hats off to Macmillian Audio for creating a podcast atmosphere. I appreciated the music that alerted the listener that this is the podcast. Through the interviews Ben did for the podcast, the listener learns bits and pieces of that murderous night. Lucy has always been a suspect, but without a weapon and no clear motive, she was never charged.

The characters are interesting. Lucy’s grandmother, who never misses a chance at a cocktail, or a romantic opportunity, is a hoot. Tintera realistically creates quirky characters that inhabit small towns. Both narrators are excellent in voicing those characters.

I loved the audio. The only TW I have is the foul language. There are others, like murder, but those of us who listen/read thrillers, don’t have many TWs. The language here, is a bit crude, but it works for the story.

Highly recommend this one for those who love audios and thrillers. This is a winner!

Great who dunnit

Starts off slow then finishes off strong. Listened to the end non stop! If you enjoy a who dunnit, go no further.

Solidly enjoyable listen

I loved the format and narration of this book. It was so well done. The story was great and kept me guessing.

My one gripe - *spoiler*

I felt like the ending was a bit of a cop out. It felt like we got to know that character as a certain type of person. And then at the end we found out all of a sudden that they actually weren’t as nice as they’d been portrayed to be the entire time. It felt a little like an unreliable narrator twist.

Wonderful narrators! Great story!

This audiobook not only presented a unique and entertaining story - a crime story that wasn’t gruesome and makes you laugh a bit - but the narrator performances were absolutely incredible! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book and will look forward to additional books by this author and books read by these two narrators.

So dang good, as in couldn’t do anything else until I Finished it!

Such a wonderful blend of podcast snippets and characters you’ll love to hate and hate to love. With an audible library in the hundreds this goes prominently into my top 10.

I think the book was good. It kept my attention and I thought it was a realistic “who dunnit”😊

I liked the story line especially how Lucy’s grandmother was her best friend next to Savannah. Why were the majority of the male characters so abusive? Just a thought!

Great story and narration

Really good story. Kept me guessing until the end. I love this narrator so chose the book based on her and it didn’t disappoint!

Good casting for voices

It holds your attention and I liked the dark humor. You will like the main character even though she might be a murderer.

Loved it!

I had no idea who the killer was! Most times I can guess and I get it right…this time…not so much! I loved it.

Surprisingly good

I loved this book, i did predict the ending a little early, because i read so many Psychological Thrillers, but this book was a breath of fresh air, it was funny! i loved Lucy and her humor was spot on. Great twists as well!